"No matter what, you have to make sure this engagement doesn't go through."
The words carried a quiet authority, firm and absolute, as the holographic figure of a woman stood before her, her dark hair falling neatly behind her shoulders while her crimson eyes remained fixed, cold and calculating, as if measuring every reaction, every hesitation.
In front of her, Serena stood with her head slightly lowered, her posture composed yet restrained, as she replied obediently.
"Yes, mother…"
For a brief moment, silence lingered between them, and then Serena slowly lifted her gaze, her ivory eyes lingering just a little longer on the projection, as if searching for something beyond the words that had just been spoken.
"H-how is father doing?" she asked, her voice softer now, carrying a faint hesitation that hadn't been present before.
The woman's lips curved.
Not into warmth, but into something sharper.
"He is doing fine," she replied, her tone calm yet edged with an underlying chill, "you should focus on what you are supposed to do… and I am sure he will do even more fine."
The implication did not need to be explained.
Serena's fingers tightened slightly at her sides as she nodded faintly, lowering her gaze once more.
"C-can I—"
The holographic figure vanished mid-sentence, leaving nothing but empty air in front of her.
Serena remained standing there, her eyes fixed on the space where the projection had been, her expression still for a moment before her hands slowly clenched into fists at her sides.
Then—
"Knock!"
"Knock!"
The sudden sound broke the silence.
Serena took a quick breath, her expression shifting almost instantly as she forced a small smile onto her face, smoothing out whatever had lingered beneath it before she walked toward the door and opened it.
The moment it opened—
A body flung into her.
"Y-young duchessssss…!"
Serena staggered back two steps to stabilize herself, her arms instinctively coming up to catch Mira as the girl clung to her, crying loudly, her entire body shaking as she buried her face against her.
Serena blinked once in surprise before her expression softened, her hand gently moving to pat Mira's head.
"There, there…" she said calmly, her tone soothing as she tried to steady her, "what happened to you?"
She leaned back slightly to look at her.
"Weren't you supposed to meet Damon Valecrest today?"
A faint pause.
"Did he do something to you?"
Mira shook her head weakly, though her tears only seemed to increase as she slowly pulled herself away from Serena's arms, wiping at her eyes with trembling hands as she tried to compose herself.
"H-he…"
Her voice broke again as more tears followed.
Serena exhaled softly, recognizing that she wasn't going to get a clear answer like this.
"Wait a minute," she said gently, guiding Mira further inside as she closed the door behind them, her hand resting lightly on Mira's shoulder as she led her toward the bed.
"Sit."
Mira obeyed without resistance, lowering herself onto the edge of the bed as Serena sat beside her, her gaze steady but patient.
"Now," Serena said, her voice calm and composed, "tell me what happened."
Mira tried to speak, but her voice trembled too much at first, her fingers clutching the fabric of her skirt as she struggled to put her thoughts into words, her tears falling faster as she finally forced them out in broken fragments.
"H-he… he didn't even recognize me…" she said, her voice cracking as she looked down, her shoulders shaking, "I-I stood right in front of him… and he… he just looked at me like I was nobody…"
Her breathing hitched.
Her grip tightened.
"H-how… how am I supposed to go through with this…?" she whispered, before her voice broke completely, and she buried her face in her hands, crying even harder.
Serena's expression changed as her eyes sharpened.
For a brief moment, she simply watched Mira, observing the rawness of her reaction, before she let out a soft sigh and leaned slightly closer, her tone shifting into something more controlled, more deliberate.
"…Then it's a good thing," she said calmly.
Mira froze slightly, her crying stuttering for a moment as she looked up, confused.
Serena continued, her voice steady.
"You're saved."
A pause.
"Saved from his grasp."
Mira blinked, her tears still falling, her expression uncertain.
Serena leaned back slightly, her gaze turning colder as she spoke, choosing her words carefully.
"You don't know much about Damon Valecrest, do you?"
Mira shook her head weakly.
Serena gave a faint, almost knowing smile.
"He's not someone you'd want to be involved with… arrogant, unpredictable, someone who does whatever he wants without caring about consequences," she said, her tone casual, almost dismissive at first.
Mira listened.
But her reaction remained minimal.
Serena noticed it as well.
That much even she must have heard, I need to do something more..
Her gaze shifted slightly, more focused now as she leaned forward just a bit, lowering her voice as if sharing something more personal.
"There are…even some rumors about him," she continued, her tone soft but pointed, "about how he treats women… how he uses his position, his power… to get what he wants."
Mira's fingers tightened again.
Her breathing slowed slightly.
Serena's eyes flicked briefly toward Mira's chest before returning to her face, the implication subtle but unmistakable.
"Especially girls like you…"
Mira stiffened.
A faint flush crept onto her face.
Serena continued, her voice carrying a quiet intensity.
"If someone like you were to fall into his reach… there's no telling how far he might push things… or what he might expect in return."
Mira's face turned redder, her eyes widening as fear began to mix with embarrassment, her shoulders curling inward slightly as if trying to make herself smaller.
Serena watched that reaction closely.
And pressed further.
"You really don't understand, do you…?" she said, her voice lowering, losing even that earlier softness as it turned more deliberate, more cutting, "someone like him wouldn't hesitate for even a moment."
Her gaze swept over Mira—slow, assessing.
"Beautiful… soft… and with a body like yours," she continued, her tone calm yet sharp enough to pierce through Mira's already shaken state, "do you really think he would just ignore that?"
Mira's breath caught.
Her hands instinctively moved closer to herself.
Serena leaned slightly forward, her eyes fixed on her.
"He would notice… he would definitely take interest… maybe he has already taken it today. He won't stop at just looking," she said, each word placed carefully, intentionally, "someone like him doesn't ask… he will just take it."
Mira trembled.
Her face flushed deeper, her eyes glistening again as she shrank into herself.
Serena didn't stop.
"With your looks… your figure… the way you can't even hold your ground when someone just looks at you," she added, her tone now almost firm, "you would be the easiest target for someone like him."
Mira's shoulders shook slightly, her breathing uneven.
Serena leaned back then, her expression settling, as if she had said enough.
"You should just stay away from him."
***
Time passed in a way Damon could not quite define, slow yet uneventful, as he found himself with nothing concrete to do, no clear task assigned, no instructions given, and so he simply remained there, sitting, standing, moving only when approached, responding in short, minimal replies whenever someone came up to speak with him, his tone polite but distant, his patience thinning with each passing moment.
His gaze moved around the room again and again, watching the same scenes repeat themselves, the same old men arguing, the same quiet humming, the same slow rhythm of life that seemed to exist without urgency or direction.
Just what kind of voluntary service is this…
The thought surfaced more than once, irritation quietly building beneath his composed exterior as he leaned back slightly in his seat, his fingers tapping faintly against his arm as he observed everything around him without truly engaging.
Isn't there supposed to be a caretaker… or someone in charge…?
But no one appeared.
No instructions came.
And so, time simply continued.
Unfolding on its own.
Damon watched.
Watched as the old men argued and laughed in the same breath, watched as the woman near the window continued weaving with quiet persistence, watched as others moved through their small routines, repeating actions that carried meaning only to them.
At some point, the afternoon arrived without announcement, marked only by the soft shuffle of footsteps as someone brought in food, placing it out without ceremony, and one by one, the old residents took their portions, some exchanging small remarks, others simply eating in silence.
A few of them gestured toward Damon as well, offering him a share with casual warmth, but he declined each time with a brief shake of his head, his appetite absent, his interest elsewhere.
And just like that—
Time moved again.
The light shifted.
The warmth of afternoon softened into the calm tones of evening, shadows stretching gently across the floor as the atmosphere grew quieter, slower.
Then—
The white sphere reappeared without warning floating toward him.
"Let's go," the Dean's voice sounded from it, calm as ever, "your day here is over."
Damon stood without hesitation, his body moving almost immediately as if he had been waiting for those exact words, and as he began walking toward the exit.
Voices followed him.
"Come again soon, young man!"
"Hahaha, next time I'll show you a real card trick!"
"Don't forget us already!"
The old men laughed as others waved.
Damon did not respond much, only giving a faint glance back as he continued walking, his expression unreadable as he stepped out of the building once more, his eyes briefly settling on the old man still seated outside, in the same place, under the same sky, his calm smile unchanged.
Then he turned away and followed the sphere.
They began walking back toward the academy, the city now quieter, the earlier bustle fading into a more subdued evening rhythm as the sky softened into deeper hues, the air cooler, calmer.
After a few moments, the Dean's voice broke the silence.
"So… what do you think?"
Damon did not answer immediately.
Instead, he asked his own question.
"Do I need to come here again tomorrow?"
The sphere drifted steadily ahead as the response came.
"No… tomorrow you may choose any service from the volunteering center… we will return here next week."
Damon exhaled quietly.
As they continued walking through the calm evening, the academy slowly coming back into view.